Season 17 TRIVIA – Weeks 10-1

Four Time Champ and Emmy Award Winner, Derek Hough, partnered with Amber Riley, actor and singer on Glee

WEEK 10 – TRIVIA(Semi-Finals)
• Woo hoo!!! They’re Back!!! After falling to 5th place last week, Derek and Amber regained their hold on the top of the Leaderboard.
• In more good news: For a record 7 times in 12 seasons, Derek is going to the finals once again! Hooray! ☺
• This week, Derek and Amber danced an AMAZINGLY AWESOME, highly well synced, Jazz routine that earned major props from the judges, and a standing ovation from the crowd.
• Len said, “Do it again!…”.
• Bruno said, “…The sync was out of this world. The versatility was astonishing…astonishing!”
• Carrieann said, “It was that intricate, and it felt like a mathematical equation that went on and on and on, and you solved it!!”
• Carrieann, Len, and Bruno gave 10’s to the dance, with guest judge, Maksim Chermkovskiy, raining on their parade with a 9. That’s okay, we’ll take it. ☺
• Maks complimented Derek’s choreography, however, saying, “If Bob Fosse lived now, I think he would be very proud.”
• Team Roughley’s second dance was danced to the same song as their Jazz routine, Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars, but Kerli acoustically sang it.
• Their second dance was a beautifully choreographed, ethereally produced, and well executed Viennese Waltz.
• Len was exceptionally pleased with this dance, because it had all the elements he looks for, “…not too much out of hold, natural turns, reverse turns, couple of contra checks…”
• Maks again complimented Derek, saying to Amber, “You have a guy who knows how to win. So next week, you’re in amazing hands. “
• And finally, our favorite couple earned their first perfect score of the season, a 40 (due to the extra judge).
• As mentioned last week, there have been 3 other seasons where Derek hasn’t earned his first perfect score of the season until the semi-finals round.
• For the show’s Opening Number, choreographed by Mandy Moore, Derek was front and center, and HOT, with Sharna Burgess. Watch here. (Fair warning)

Additional Fun Trivia
• When Maks assigned a 9 score for Derek and Amber’s Jazz routine, the audience booed. Not sure if it was Maks they were booing or the score, or both.
• Some folks on Twitter complained that Derek unfairly choreographed a sitting routine to accommodate Amber’s knees.
• In fairness to Derek’s choreography, Jazz dance incorporates:

different levels from which to implement the dance: standing, kneeling, sitting, squatting, crouching, and lying

the isolation of body parts, using a combination of tension and relaxation, with synchronicity

• For those of you who might have missed it, here are Carrieann’s comments about the Jazz routine, taken from Parade:

“That jazz routine with the hand choreography was so impressive. There were about 100 hand moves there, which also means 100 opportunities for a mistake, just in the first 4 counts of 8. It’s daring and while they made it look so easy, the concentration required for a performance like that is unbelievable and they were impressive…”

• For their Viennese Waltz routine, Derek has said that he couldn’t clear any of the acoustic versions of Bruno Mars’s song, so he worked with the music people to create his own version.
• He has hinted that he might sing it, record it, and then put it on YouTube. Fingers crossed. ☺
• Amber’s Glee co-star, Chris Colfer, was at it again this week in trying to promote Amber and Derek. See here. ☺
• Amber was trending 1st on Twitter last night…and by extension, Derek too. See here.

WEEK 9 – TRIVIA(Quarterfinals)
• Woo hoo!!! Derek and Amber are going to the SEMI-FINALS!!! ☺
• Things were looking a little iffy though, as by the end of the night, Team Roughley had fallen from 1st place, where they had been for 3 weeks, to 5th place.
• Derek and Amber’s execution of their cute and feisty Quickstep earned them a 24, a score that they hadn’t earned since Week 3.
• Derek remarked in an interview that he has never practiced so little “ever” for a dance.
• Until the day before, Amber could hardly walk due to her double knee injuries.
• The judges were rather critical of their Quickstep, with Carrieann justifying the judge’s critiques by saying, “The good news is…you have set the standard so very, very high…, but you also have to keep up to that level”.
• Derek and Amber’s Trio Dance, however, with Mark Ballas was amazing, with tons of energy, spiciness, spunk, and great rhythm.
• GrumpyLenGoodman said: “Great dance, full of fun.”• Here is Derek’s Trio dance record. It has been up and down.

Season 15 – Trio Samba with Mark Ballas placed 6th, the second lowest trio score of the night.

Season 16 – Trio Pasodoble with Tristan McManus scored the 2nd highest trio score, tied with one other couple.

Season 17 – Trio Salsa dance with Mark Ballas was the 2nd highest score for the night for trio dances, tied with one other couple

• There was a Twitter Competition for the “Best Opening Move” of the night, and Derek and Amber were surprised to hear that they had won. See here.

Additional Fun Trivia
• Derek is going to the semi-finals for the 10th time in 12 seasons (83%). That is a record, folks.• Cheryl Burke comes closest to Derek’s record with 9 semi-finals out of 16 seasons. (56%)
• In two other seasons, Derek earned a surprising, and an unusually low score, that caused him to fall from the top of the leaderboard. Remember these statistics?

Season 7 – In Week 9, Brooke and Derek danced a Jive that earned only a 21, thereby causing them to fall from 1st place, where they had been for 8 weeks. They landed in 2nd place. They were never lower than 2nd place, however.

Season 11 – In Week 6, Jennifer and Derek danced a surprisingly poorly executed Pasodoble, which earned them a 20, their lowest score all season. Until that point, their lowest score had been a 24.

• Despite people feeling that Amber and Derek are contenders for the final, they have yet to earn a perfect score.
• In reality, despite Derek being choreographer and teacher extraordinaire, he hasn’t always earned perfect scores early on, if at all.

In Season 5, Derek’s first perfect score was for the very last dance he performed with Jennie in Week 9.

In Season 6, he earned NO perfect scores.

In Season 8, he earned NO perfect scores.

In Season 9, he earned NO perfect scores.

In Seasons 7and 14, he didn’t earn a perfect score until Week 7.

In Seasons, 13, 15, and 16, he didn’t earn a perfect score until the semi-finals. So there is hope.

• As a funny aside, on Twitter, Chris Colfer, Amber’s Glee cast mate, tweeted the following at the end of the night: Justin Bieber or One Direction? Join me now in the debate, call 1-800-868-3407. ☺

WEEK 8 – TRIVIA(Cher Night)
• “WOOHOO!! Immunity & a SHIRTLESS Derek!! Doesn’t get any better than that!! :)” (via @curls4derek on Twitter) That pretty much sums up the night. ☺
• Derek and Amber performed a Rumba to the song, “If I Could Turn Back Time” by this week’s guest judge, Cher.
• In the opening moments of the dance, Amber, dressed all in black, was surrounded by Derek and 5 other “sailors”, all dressed in white. (Derek has hinted that he was “told” to be a sailor.)
• The opening theme for their Rumba was inspired by Cher’s Official “If I Could Turn Back Time” Music Video in which she was dressed all in black and surrounded by sailors. See here.
• Though the song hardly had the sweetness, passion, and romance of a standard Rumba, Derek and Amber managed to earn the only 10 of the night.
• The 10 was from Bruno, which made up for last week’s 9. Bruno’s 10 helped the pair earn Immunity. Thanks, Bruno!
• Derek and Amber would have still earned Immunity, even without the extra point, because they were the couple with the highest cumulative scores out of the three couples who scored a 27.
• Due to Derek and Amber’s Immunity, they did not have to participate in the Dance-Off.
• Earning Immunity is a two-edged sword, because they were not eligible to earn the 3 extra points in the Dance Off, thereby falling from 1st place to 2nd place for the night.
• Last season, Derek earned Immunity with his partner, as well, with his night’s total score resulting in him falling from 1st place to 3rd place.
• Earning a 28 for their dance was even more amazing considering that Amber was dancing on sore tendons in her knees, and did not wear her brace.
• Derek had to practice with troupe member, Witney Carson, and Amber learned the choreography for the dance by watching them. Amazing Visual Intelligence ala Howard Gardner, Amber!Read here.
• This is a switch from last week, when Amber practiced with troupe member, Henry Byalikov, and Derek watched them. ☺

Additional Fun Trivia
• This is not the first time Derek has danced as a sailor. Remember his Quickstep with Nicole Scherzinger in Season 10? See here.
• It is rare for Derek to go shirtless. In his 12 seasons and over 150 dances, he has done so only 7 times.

Season 16 – Week 7 – partner Kellie Pickler – Samba (The same week he won Immunity that season)

Collage Week 7WEEK 7 – TRIVIA• Bravo! Bravo! Derek and Amber’s Pasodoble was passionate, majestic, and fiery, just as a Pasodoble should be.
• Team Roughley’s Paso was so remarkable, displaying the artistry and flair of a well-orchestrated bullfight, that the audience was on its feet throughout the dance.
• Derek, shirtless, with only his toreador jacket, created the most elegant matador movements with his body, while Amber, majestically and skillfully, simulated his cape.
• Bruno said, “That Pasodoble was like vintage wine, full of depth, flavor, amazing color…”
• Carrieann was so excited about that dance. She exclaimed: “You slayed the beast again!…You lit this ballroom up.”
• Len enjoyed this dance too, saying, “ You captured the flavor of the dance, the essence. Derek, the matador, proud and haughty. Amber, the cape, flowing and expressive… You are back in the game for me.”
• Carrieann and Len gave 10’s for the Pasodoble, with Bruno giving a 9. ☹
• For 16 seconds, the audience, with Len’s encouragement, booed Bruno’s scoring, until Tom stopped them.
• Len quipped, “I’ll tell you, this girl is full of talent. I won’t tell you what Bruno is full of.” ☺
• In only one other season has Bruno scored Derek lower than the other 2 judges: Season 6 for his Samba.
• It was a good night anyway, because Derek’s team, Team FoxingAwesome, earned a perfect score for their freestyle dance, a dance that was primarily choreographed by him.
• This is the first time that a team dance has earned a perfect score.
• Since team dances started in Season 7, Derek’s team has ALWAYS won! Here is his awesome record.

Season 7 – Week 7 – Team Paso – 29/30 – #1

Season 8 – Week 8 – Team Tango – 28/30 – #1

Season 9 – Week 7 – Team Tango – 28/30 – #1

Season 10 – Week 7 – Team Gaga (Cha-Cha) – 27/30 – #1

Season 11 – Week 7 – Team Apolo (Cha-Cha) – 27/30 – #1

Season 13 – Week 7 – Team Paso – 26/30 – #1

Season 14 – Week 7 – Team Tango – 27/30 – #1

Season 15 – Week 5 – Team Call Me Maybe (Freestyle) – 29.5/30 – #1

Season 16 – Week 6 – Team Samba – 25/30 – #1

Season 17 – Week 7 – Team FoxingAwesome (Freestyle) – 30/30 – #1

Additional Fun Trivia• It was iffy as to whether Derek would dance with Amber this week, as he had re-injured his back. He was cleared to dance on the show.
• Henry Byalikov (troupe) practiced with Amber this week during practice sessions, with Derek quarterbacking from the sidelines.
• Since Season 6, Derek has had a series of serious injuries that he continues to work through. His attitude is, “”I’m kind of hurting. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone.” – (TV Guide, November 15, 2010)
• Derek says about his injuries, “”I’m definitely accident-prone. I’m always getting hurt, especially on this show. Around this time – knock on wood – I get sick or the flu or my neck gets hurt. It’s always something with me.” (From Inside the Box, May 23, 2010)
• At this point, though he requires surgery, he has yet to have it performed.

Season 6 – Week 6 – Derek suffered a neck injury that had him sidelined for a week.

Season 7 – Week 3 – Derek trips, falls onto his back, smashes the back of his head, and blacks out.

Season 10 – Week 8 – Derek’s bruised his sternum (breast bone), making it difficult for him to practice, though he earned his first 30 of the season for his 50’s Pasodoble.

Season 14 – Week 9 – While practicing the Argentine Tango, Derek suffered from a herniated disc in the back, with numbness in his shoulder. Derek talks about this recurring injury here.

Season 15 – Week 2 – Derek’s back bothers him again, but he still is able to perform the Jive, though he was highly medicated.

Season 15 – Week 6 – Derek suffered from the pre-existing bulging disc in his neck, and also a right shoulder injury, and was unable to dance in Week 7.

Season 17 – Week 7 – Derek suffered from a new injury, a bulging disc in his lower back. The pain even caused him to pass out when bending over to tie his shoe.

• In reviewing how Len judges Derek, it is typical that when he gives him a lowball score one week (in comparison to the other judges), the following week, he will give him a considerably higher score. Take a look.

Season 10 – Week 3, a 6 (followed by a 8 in Week 4)

Season 10 – Week 6, a 7 (followed by a 9 in Week 7)

Season 14 – Week 8, a 8(followed by a 10 in Week 9)

Season 14 – Week 8, a 7 (followed by a 9in Week 9)

Season 15 – Week 8, a 7 (followed by a 10 in Week 9)

Season 16 – Week 8, a 7 (followed by a 10 in Week 9)

Season 17 – Week 5, a 7 (followed by a 8 in Week 6, then followed by a 10 in Week 7)

WEEK 6 – TRIVIA(The Switch Up Challenge)
• This week, Derek and Amber delivered a highly entertaining Brazilian Samba that was fun, fresh, lively, rhythmical, playful, and spirited, like a party dance should be.
• Their Samba was also Ballroom-worthy, with alternating side and syncopated movements, promenades, voltas, botafogos, Samba walks, and, of course, Samba rolls.
• Not only the audience, but the pros and celebs as well, were standing, cheering, and clapping for 36 seconds after this routine, even clapping partly through Bruno’s comments. ☺
• Bruno said: “Apart from your performance value, which is out of this world, I was really looking for something wrong. Is she going to get the double bounce? Yes! Is she going to get the rolls? Yes! Is she going to get the voltas? Yes!..You did everything!”
• Carrieann said: “What you did was like a super Amberlishish Samba…All the elements were there … it was like a turn-on!”
• Unfortunately, Len declared, “I’m always a party pooper… It was a fantastic routine, but I found it a tad repetitive.”
• Len pointed out that Derek and Amber had done forwards, Samba walks, running promenades, and voltas, and then repeated them. Okay, so???
• The audience booed Len, with Carrieann’s encouragement, and she responded to Len’s comments, “That was insane!”
• Derek commented: “The irony of it is, I literally did that for you, Len.”
• Len finally acquiesced by saying, “This girl is a fantastic dancer.”, and Tom responded, “…It really is about her dancing.”
• Thank-you, Mr. Tom Bergeron, super-host extraordinaire, for keeping it real.
• Derek and Amber finished the night by performing 4 different styles of dance, and winning their group’s first ever Switch Up Challenge.
• The challenge was divided into two rounds, with four couples competing in each, and with no prior knowledge of the dance style or the music. Ouch!
• Derek “redeemed” himself this week in the marathon competition from his 7th place finish in Season 14. Here’s his record:

Additional Fun Trivia• America was first introduced to the Samba when Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers performed it in a 1933 film called Flying Down to Rio.
• The dance did not take hold, however, until danced by Carmen Miranda in the late 1930’s.
• For an explanation of some of the elements of ballroom Samba that Len and Bruno talked about, see these brief videos.

• Despite Len’s criticisms of Derek, in the past he has said: “I don’t say this word often, but Derek as a choreographer is a genius. He’s a genius.” Go figure!
• With the two 10’s that Derek and Amber earned for their Samba, Derek now has earned 136 ten’s in his 12 seasons on the show, far more than any other pro.
• And, folks, to date, Derek’s record remains intact as the only pro to take all of his multiple partners past the half way point in the competition. Go Derek! ☺

WEEK 5 – TRIVIA(Most Memorable Year)
• So much fun! Knocking it out of the park, Derek and Amber absolutely rocked their feisty, entertaining Foxtrot.
• Unfortunately, the choreography was not a Len-Pleaser: not enough hold, nor enough Foxtrot. Blah, blah, blah.
• Though Derek realized there was not enough hold; Amber wanted to do the dance her way, because it was her story she was telling.
• On a positive note, Len complimented Derek, saying, “I couldn’t dance like you.”
• Bruno said: “Absolutely and utterly sensational… I know it’s not traditional, but this could be lifted from the best of Broadway shows.”
• The audience loved the entire performance; and stood and clapped when the couple received their first 10 of the season.
• Despite the 10, and their overall score, Derek and Amber fell in the middle of the pack again this week.
• Len’s scoring of 7 was the lowest single score of the night.
• The show’s Opening Number was Derek’s choreographic genius. Using chairs, he choreographed around Aloe Blacc’s singing of “Wake Me Up”.

Additional Fun Trivia• Carrieann takes off 1 point for lifts, but Len punishes by taking off multiple points, especially when he’s displeased with Derek’s choreography. • Len started judging more on Derek’s choreography rather than on the celeb’s technique back in Season 10.

Season 10, Week 3: Derek and Nicole’s Quickstep – a 6 for not enough hold (8-6-9)

Season 10, Week 6: Derek and Nicole’s Samba – a 7 for not enough Samba voltas and botafogos (9-7-10)

Season 14, Week 8: Derek and Maria’s Viennese Waltz – a 8 for not enough beauty and hold (10-8-10)

Season 16, Week 8: Derek, Kellie and Tristan’s Alternate Universes Pasodoble – a 7 because it didn’t have a Salvador (10-7-10)

As an aside, Derek and Amber have Samba next week. Uh uh! ☺

• In numerology, the number 5 represents “drama”, and boy has Derek experienced the drama in Week 5’s.

Season 9 – For the first time ever, he couldn’t dance with his partner (Joanna), because he had the swine flu.

Season 11 – Jennifer and Derek had an on-camera tiff. They also found themselves in jeopardy that week.

Season 13 – Derek and Ricki fell from the top of the leaderboard, where they had been for 3 weeks, due to their low scoring Foxtrot.

Season 14 – Derek dropped Maria face first on the floor during rehearsals. In addition, Derek was criticized by Carrieann for the gratuitous kiss in their Salsa. The couple won the Encore anyway, and during the encore, Derek changed it up by kissing Carrieann instead. ☺

Season 15 – A major argument broke out among the judges over the worthiness of Shawn and Derek’s TitanicRumba.

Season 16 – Derek was continually frustrated during rehearsals with Kellie, and was experiencing a major choreographer’s block, leading Kellie to exclaim: “I don’t hate you, but I hate your ways right now.”

• This week’s pro dance, choreographed by Derek, is not the first time that Derek utilized chairs in the choreography. Remember this dance to Jennifer Lopez’s Let’s Get Loud, during Season 6?• Don’t you just love seeing Derek dressed up formally for his Foxtrots? He doesn’t always do this though. Here’s a fun collage of his Foxtrot outfits over the seasons.
Collage Week 4

TRIVIA – WEEK 4• They’re back! Derek and Amber’s fiery Tango put them back on top of the leaderboard (shared with 2 other couples).
• The audience stood and cheered, and Carrie Ann Inaba enthusiastically exclaimed: “Miss Amber Riley, you are a firestorm today. Your hold! You were like one person!”
• Bruno continued the exhuberant praise, saying: “No beating around the bush here: That was pure, unmistakably classic Tango.”
• “Holy Cow!”, said Guest Judge, Julianne Hough. She was trying to find fault with the dance to avoid being criticized for bias, but… she couldn’t!
• In cute sibling playfulness, Derek tried to slip Jules 2 five dollar bills to ensure a good score. Not needed though.
• Derek and Amber’s high score of 27 was especially sweet, because they weren’t even able to practice until Friday. Amber had an inflamed knee requiring drainage.
• Derek says that dancing a Tango is especially hard on the knees, because you have to dance low, so he was very proud of Amber.
• Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown” was the music for Derek and Amber’s Tango, a surprising modern choice for a Tango, but it worked, producing a clean, solid Tango.
• By the way, Derek promises blueberry muffins for all those who vote for Team Roughly. For your muffins, he can be reached at @DerekHough

Additional Fun Trivia• Despite Amber’s knee injury, or because of it, Derek’s Tango this week was pretty traditional, but it still had his signature moves that you can count on: precision, intensity, and sultriness.
• Derek is no stranger to choreographing so as to work around his partner’s injuries.

In Season 11, Jennifer Grey was plagued with a serious spinal cord injury, yet danced the entire season, even performing one of Derek’s most memorable dances, an Argentine Tango. Watch here.

Also in week 10, Jennifer suffered a ruptured disc, but still managed an incredible Freestyle. Watch here.Amazing!

In Season 14, Maria Menounous ripped her intercostal muscles and two broken ribs in week 2, but came in with a crowd-pleasing Quick Step. Watch here at 1:35.

Also in Week 4, Maria danced one of Derek’s best Tangos despite having a stress fracture on her right foot, and multiple bone bruises on her left foot. Watch here at 1:13.

• Since Derek arrived on the DWTS scene in Season 5, there have been 5 guest judges:

Season 7 – Week 6: Michael Flatley, who gave Derek a 10; the only 10 given that night

Season 9 – Week 2: Baz Luhrmann, who gave Derek a 7, but so did Bruno.

Season 11 – Week 7: Drew Lachey, who was handing out 10’s freely to most couples

Season 15 – Week 4: Paula Abdul, who gave Derek a 10; one of only two 10’s given that night

Season 17 – Week 4: Julianne Hough, who gave Derek a 9, the highest score given this night

TRIVIA – WEEK 3(Hollywood Night)
• For Hollywood Night, Derek and Amber danced an unquestionably captivating, highly entertaining Charleston to “Bang Bang”, a song from The Great Gatsby.
• Clapping repeatedly for a long time, the audience was WOWed by Derek and Amber’s animated performance………but the judges not so much. ☹
• Len said, “It was such fun to watch”, but the judges’ scores for the dance landed Derek and Amber in the middle of the pack, not such a great place to be.
• We’ve seen it before, where the judges’ underscore Derek and his partners, and are a bit critical of things that no one else seems to see.
• Can it be that Derek and Amber are receiving ample votes, so the judges feel they can afford to be nitpicky? Let’s hope that that’s the case.
• Derek tweeted: “Uh oh judges pickin on my girl @MsAmberPRiley … I think she did great but I will watch the tapes back to see what they saw . All love”
• Viewers were not especially pleased with the judges’ comments and lowballed score. Here’s a sampling of the many tweets that weighed in on the subject:

Allen Roy MacPherson ‪@allenroy60‬
@derekhough best dance of the night. These judges must be watching a different show. GO #TeamAmber

Allen Roy MacPherson ‪@allenroy60‬
#DWTS more 9’s and only 8’s for Derek and Amber. B00OOoo! To the judges!!!

Chelsie Hightower ‪@chelsiehightowr‬
LOOOOOVED IT!! @MsAmberPRiley @derekhough And Wow, would have given it at least a 9.

Additional Fun Trivia
• This was the first time that Derek has danced the Charleston, a dance that has not been danced often on DWTS: Season 9 (Melissa/Mark, Kelly/Louis, Donny/Kym), Season 15 (Kirstie/Maks), and Season 16 (Ingo/Kym).
• The Charleston is a dance thatwas danced byblacks who were living off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina (thus the name) around 1903.
• It was not popularized until 1923 when it was seen in a Broadway musical called Runnin’ Wild and performed to a song called “The Charleston”.
• Derek, our Emmy award-winning choreographer, creatively combined a wee bit of Hip Hop into his Charleston routine, and surprisingly the judge’s didn’t pick him apart for that.
• Amber addressed her surprise that the judges didn’t critique the amount of Hip Hop in the performance. To read more of her comments, go to Parade Entertainment.

• It was fun seeing Derek do Hip Hop again. Remember the Hip Hop he did during the 2007-2008 DWTS tour with Genya Mazo and Mark Ballas? Check it out here.

WEEK 2 - TRIVIA – (Latin Night)• This week, Derek and Amber once again delivered a crowd-pleasing performance, maintaining their position at the top of the Leaderboard.
• Evoking a standing ovation afterwards, Team Roughley danced a Jive that had plenty of sass and personality, with Amber even performing a cartwheel.
• Derek later tweeted: “Great job @MsAmberPRiley . You were amazing ! Not bad for someone who was terrified of dancing the jive ! #proudmoby.to/qz0k2p ”
• Derek and Amber’s score tied for 3rd place with two other couples, however, combined with Week 1’s score, they were kept in 1st place… by 1 point.
• In the pre-dance package, Derek playfully acted out what would happen if Amber had a wardrobe malfunction, with her breasts hitting him in the face while dancing. Watch here.
• Tom joked to Derek, “If they ever give awards for best pantomime of a boob concussion, you should win!”
• Tom also congratulated Derek on the Emmy that he won for choreography during the 65th Primetime Emmy broadcast the night before. Congrats to Derek! It’s been a long time coming.
• If you missed any of the Emmy coverage, check out Heidi and Vogue’s media coverage here.

Fun Stuff about Derek• In Season 9, when dancing the Jive with Joanna Krupa, Derek received his lowest dance score EVER in his 5 seasons: a “6-7-7=20”.
• This 20 remains his lowest score to date, though he received a 20 two more times, seasons 10 and 13 (for different dances).
• By contrast, in Season 10, Derek earned 10’s for his Jive…and that was in Week 2! (“10-8-10”).
• Only 2 other couples in the 17 seasons of DWTS have received 10’s in the second week.
• Let’s take a re-look at some of Derek’s really cool Jives:

Dancing with ‘Lil Kim, one of the top 10 dances of the 200th DWTS Episode – Jive Season 8

Dancing with Nicole Scherzinger, their Week 2 Jive performed on the Ellen show – Jive Season 10

Dancing with Cheryl Burke on Good Morning America – February 2008 (at 1:43)

WEEK 1 – TRIVIA• Derek and Amber’s Cha-Cha brought down the house; Derek ripped the back of his jacket while dancing; and the judges handed out their highest scores of the night to Derek and Amber. That sums it up.
• In their Season 17 debut, Derek and Amber had the crowd on their feet for the longest applause and approbation of the night after their really fast, sassy, and highly electric Cha-Cha.
• Head judge, Len Goodman, was in a good mood, joking that he was “palpitating, perspirating, and flatulating”.
• Derek later tweeted: “Way to go Ber Ber ;))) You were electric tonight . Very proud !”
• Derek and Amber earned their first 9’s of the season, and in fact, the only 9’s of the night.
• Their score of 27 tied a DWTS first-week best with Mark Ballas and Kristy Yamaguchi in Season 6.
• Cheering the couple on from the crowd were Amber’s Glee co-stars: Kevin McHale, Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Ashley Fink, and Jenna Ushkowitz.
• Derek and Amber chose the name Team Roughley for themselves.

Fun Stuff about Derek
• In two out of Derek’s four winning seasons, Seasons 7 and 10, Derek earned his first 9’s for the season in Week 1.
• The score of 27 is the highest score Derek has ever earned in the 1st week. (See chart below)
• Here’s some fun numerology:

Amber is a 5 in numerology, and Derek and Amber danced 5th.

Wouldn’t it be cool if Derek earned his 5th win with Amber?

Monday night was the 5th time out of 12 seasons that Derek has danced the Cha Cha in Week 1.

Though Derek and Amber danced 5th, their number this season is a 7 (1-800-868-3407). Presumably they were scheduled originally to dance 7th.

The number 7 has been good to Derek in his previous four wins on DWTS.

He won Season 7 with Brooke Burke-Charvet.

He won with Jennifer Grey in his 7th season on DWTS

He and Nicole Scherzinger topped the Leaderboard for 7 weeks.

And in Week 7, Derek and Kellie Pickler earned “immunity”, thereby avoiding the one and only Dance Off of the season.